


You, Me, and this Tree

by 15tleeman



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 16:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10539819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/15tleeman/pseuds/15tleeman
Summary: Negan and Rick find themselves stuck together in a tree house surrounded by walkers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a completely random scenario that I just kind of made up as I went along.

The moans from the walkers grew louder as more and more of them gathered around the bottom of the tree, desperate for what was at the top. Up above in the middle of the giant oak tree’s branches was a treehouse that clearly once belonged to a small child. The small, plastic table with toys on it was evidence enough. Inside, the only sound was the heavy breathing of the two men who just barely managed to outrun the cluster of walkers.

“Shit.” Negan chuckled while sitting against the wall. “That was fucking close, Rick.”

Rick had his hands on his knees, bent over slightly, catching his breath. Negan was right, it _was_ close. _Too_ close. “Well, maybe if we hadn’t bashed the window in, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Don’t blame this all on me. You wanted to get in that house just as much as I wanted to.” Negan argued back. Negan demanded that Rick go with him on a special supply run, much to Rick’s disagreement.

A few weeks back, Negan had discovered a small, gated community that appeared to be untouched. This remote neighborhood where rich people once lived was now overrun by the dead, too many for just the two of them to take all at once, but not enough that they couldn’t sneak through it.

They tried to approach the situation subtly and quietly, and they did. That was until Negan decided the best way into the first house was to smash the window with Lucille, resulting in a very loud, ear piercing alarm to blare from inside the house. Unable to reach the gate that they climbed over to get in, they were forced to run deeper into the neighborhood. Rick had spotted the tree house and yanked Negan up to safety.

Rick walked over to the small window and looked down below. Easily 20 walkers surrounding the bottom trying to find a way up. Rick looked out down the street. Other walkers were focused on the house with the alarm still blaring.

Rick sighed and turned back to Negan. “Well, looks like we’ll be here awhile.” He sat down against the wall opposite of Negan and ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

“What _will_ we do to pass the time, dear Rick?” Negan asked in a condescending voice. “Tell stories? Paint each other’s nails?”

Rick closed his eyes as he tried to block out Negan. Negan was certainly the last person he wanted to be stuck in a treehouse with. In fact, he would prefer a walker to being stuck with Negan.

“Why?” was all that came out of Rick’s mouth.

“Why what?” Negan shot back.

“Why did you drag me out to this place that you knew was overrun, that you knew we couldn’t handle on our own? Were you trying to kill us both?” Rick questioned.

Negan licked his lips as he stared at Rick. “Somebody found their balls,” Negan nearly whispered before clearing his throat. “Well, Rick. If you must know, which apparently you think you do, I thought we could get to know each other better. I mean, hell, I want us to be friends. And yet, you don’t seem to want to be my friend. Now, why is that?”

Rick looked away from Negan. It was such an odd concept to him. How could this prick who killed the people he loved and tortured another want to be friends with him? “I’m gonna let you answer that for yourself. Since you only seem to hear what you want anyways.”

Negan’s mouth turned into a grimace as Rick spoke. “Why does everything have to be a fucking game with you, Rick? Just answer the goddamn question! Don’t beat around the bush. You’re trying to act all tough like you do in front of your people, but right now, it’s just me! There’s no hidden cameras in here. I’m not wearing a damn wire… I’ve seen you broken. I’ve seen you at your worst. There’s no fucking need to play the charade right now, tough guy! It’s just you, me, and this tree.”

“Why do you want to be friends with me, anyway? It’s not like it’ll keep you from torturing my friends or killing another? What would my friendship gain you?” Rick was annoyed. Annoyed at the walkers, annoyed with Negan, annoyed with these questions. Just flat out annoyed.

Negan scoffed and unzipped his leather jacket. The sun was making the treehouse uncomfortably hot and the black leather was not helping. He leaned forward and shrugged it off his shoulders, pulling it out beside him. He adjusted his white t-shirt as he leaned back against the wall. “It’s not about your friendship, Rick. It’s about your loyalty.”

“You have my loyalty, remember? When you bashed my friend’s skulls into the ground… I wasn’t really given a choice.”

“Do you want one? A choice? Because I can give you one if you’re so desperate for one.”

Rick looked back at Negan, giving him a questioning look. “There isn’t a choice in the world that would be worth making at this point. None of that can be undone.” Rick said, replaying that night in his mind, like he did every night.

“You can either choose to sit here in silence, annoyed at me for the next few hours, or you can choose to be a good fucking friend and drop this goddamn act.”

“I’d rather sit in silence.” Rick replied immediately.

Negan banged his knuckles on the ground a couple of times. “Nope. Nope, Rick, you just told me you didn’t want a choice. So you don’t get a say in the matter anymore. It became my choice when you copped out like the bitch you are. And my choice, is to be friends and _talk_. Let’s be fucking adults here.”

Rick closed his eyes and turned away from Negan, hoping he would just shut up, knowing that he wouldn’t. There was no winning with Negan. It was his way or his way. No one else got their way. Ever. Especially not Rick.

“Tell me about your family, Ric-“

“ _No.”_

Negan was taken aback. “No? Did you just say ‘no’ to me?”

“We’re not talking about my kids.” Rick stated firmly.

Negan’s eye widened. “’Kids?’ Did you just say ‘kids?’ As in, you have more than _one_?”

Rick shook his head, realizing his mistake. “No.”

“You _do!_ ” Negan chuckled. “Look. At. You! To be honest, I didn’t think you had it in you.”

“ _Please.”_ Rick plead. He didn’t want Negan to know anything he didn’t need to know. And Judith was definitely one of them.

Negan brought his knees up and rested his arms on them, clasping his hands together. “Rick, come on. What did we _just_ talk about?”

“I’ll talk about anything but that.” Rick replied, nearly begging Negan to change the subject.

“Your boy certainly is a badass, I can only imagine what your other children are like.” Negan taunted, ignoring Rick’s plea. Rick clenched his jaw. “How many you got? Two? Three? Are there more mini Rick’s running around back home?”

Rick shook his head. “No… It’s just Carl— “

Negan clapped his hands loudly, causing Rick to jump. “See? There you go again, Rick! You are a terrible liar, d’you know that? You wouldn’t have let it slip if it were ‘just Carl’,” Negan made air quotes with his fingers. “Now, tell me about your other kids or I will just walk right back to Alexandria and find them myself!” He said, pointing out in the distance.

Rick sighed and wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, his tongue messing with his teeth. “It’s just Carl and…and my daughter. That’s it.”

Negan smiled, satisfied at Rick’s cooperation. “Now, see? That wasn’t so damn hard, now was it? Tell me about her. Indulge me for a moment with your little world.”

Rick knew he shouldn’t be talking about Judith. But, at this point, there was nothing left for him to lose. And Rick knew there was no way Negan would harm Judith… if he did, so help him, Negan wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale.

“I’m waiting, Rick.”

“Her name’s Judith. She’s…” Rick paused, the sudden realization kicking in as he realized what he was about to say. “She’s just under a year old…”

“Woah.” Negan chuckled. “A year? Damn… Anyone who has a baby in this fucked up world is either stupid or has no self-control to pull out.” Negan laughed again at his own words.

“Yeah, well, I’m not entirely sure that she’s mine.” Rick admitted.

Negan’s jaw fell open, his eyebrows raising. “What?! Oh, man, you have got to be shitting me! I can’t fucking believe this.”

Rick shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. She’s mine regardless of her DNA.”

“So… someone else fucked your woman? Did you watch?” Negan asked, trying to amuse himself.

“ _Asshole.”_ Rick stated, jaw clenching again.

“Indeed I am, Rick. Indeed I am… But seriously, _do_ explain. Cause this is some good shit.” Negan was amused at this new information that he was hearing. He doesn’t get to hear any interesting stories anymore. He’s heard all of Simon’s stories, and Negan finds that the Saviors bore him.

Rick stayed silent for a moment, staring at the ground. He hadn’t thought about Lori or Shane in such a long time. In fact, he completely pushed them out of his head. All of it was too painful for him to want to remember, so it was easier to pretend like it didn’t happen. “I was in a coma when all this started,” Rick motioned his arm to the side, referring to the end of the world. “When I woke up, I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t know where my family was or if they were even alive… I found them, eventually.” Rick chuckled. “It was actually a complete accident. But, that didn’t matter… My family thought I was dead.”

“A fucking coma? Je-sus, Rick. Nothin’ ‘bout you is normal, is it?” Negan joked.

Rick ignored Negan’s comment and tried to continue, but couldn’t find the right words. This was never something he thought he would explain to anyone. Even Carl didn’t know. He had his suspicions, but that was a conversation Rick vowed never to have with him. “My, uh… best friend, he- like I said before, they thought I was dead and—“

“ _Wait._ You’re telling me your _best friend_ banged your woman? And _knocked her up!?_ ” Negan couldn’t help but laugh at what Rick was telling him.

Rick kept his gaze on the floor. “I came back shortly after it happened, so there’s a chance she’s mine, but… but I know she’s not. Deep down…” Rick shook his head. “My wife knew it too. And she knew I would take care of it no matter what… But we never talked about it. But we both knew…we knew…” Rick rested his head against the wall and stared out the window at the leaves moving in the wind.

Negan scoffed and ran his hand over his white and gray stubble. “Good Lord, Rick… That is so fucked up, I am sorry, but it is. I mean, that takes some balls to raise another dude’s kid as your own.” Neither man said a word for a few moments. Negan was definitely amused now. “Does Daryl know?”

Rick looked back at the man across from him. “Daryl?” Rick chuckled and half smiled. “No. There’s no reason for him to know.”

“So he doesn’t even know he has a kid?” Negan questioned.

Rick laughed again. “No, no, no. It wasn’t Daryl. It was my best friend from before the world went to shit, Shane…” Rick dropped his head at the mention of that name. “He’s dead now. I killed him.”

Negan’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow. What a fucking badass over here. Killin’ his best friend for knocking up his wife. Balls, man.”

“I didn’t kill him for getting her pregnant. I killed him because he was going to kill me. I had to get rid of him… had to keep my family safe.”

Negan let his head fall back against the wall with a loud thud. “Christ… What a riveting story, Rick.” Negan said, almost sarcastically.               


End file.
